Big City (2007); family comedy French film review

Poster artwork for the French family comedy film Big City.

Children Rule The Wild West

by Linh

Director and writer Djamel Bensalah's Big City is wonderfully filmed and cleverly performed with a cast of mostly children. Bensalah required a talented young cast and recruited an ideal ensemble after he and his producers auditioned about eight thousand children in ten months. Big City is set in the Wild West of America during the 1800s and is a spoof on many of the classic American spaghetti Westerns. The adults of the town all go off to fight the Indians who have allegedly attacked their train wagon, and don't return. The children decide to take on the roles and occupations of their parents, including setting up a government system and elections. 

IT'S HOWDY DOODY TIME: Independance (Alexis Maah), James (Vincent Valladon) and Deborah (Paolina Biguine) in a scene from the film Big City. Image: Gaumont Distribution.

Big City is a combination of George Orwell's Animal Farm and the American reality television series Kid Nation which shows the empowerment of children, and how they work together to build a functioning society without adult supervision or assistance. The film also covers issues still prevalent these days such as prejudice, racism and corruption. The characters in Big City are culturally diverse yet stereotypical, with a Jewish bank manager, a Chinese grocery store owner, a French prostitute, and an Italian bar/saloon owner, all adding humour and eccentricity to the town's community. 

SCENE STEALERS: Betty Wilson (Manon Tournier), Miss Robinson (Claire Bouanich) and Nicole (Charlie Quatrefages) in a scene from Big City. Image: Gaumont Distribution.

Leading the excellent young ensemble cast is Vincent Valladon as James Wayne, the modest farmboy turned gun-toting cowboy and sharpshooter. Valladon's red-haired and freckle-faced appearance is not the usual 'look' for a hero, yet he fits the script perfectly as the unwilling and accidental hero of the town. Valladon gives a standout performance as the brave, morally just and fair citizen of the town similar to the character Atticus Finch in the film and book To Kill A Mockingbird. 

African-Americans feature in Big City as one of the underdogs and downtrodden minority groups, yet Alexis Maah as Independance (actual spelling of character's name) Warner and Samen Télesphore Teunou as Jefferson Warner shine in their roles, particularly in scenes where race relations and black slavery are depicted. Erudite viewers may note the brothers' names are from the Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson who wrote the draft for the Declaration of Independence. 

Every town needs a belle and the lovely Paolina Biguine as Deborah White, is convincing as a kind-hearted and sweet maiden befitting the image of innocence and purity. Paolina Biguine's character Deborah shows a stronger female presence when she falls in love with an Indian boy who rescues her from drowning in the river. 

The villain of Big City is Jeremy Denisty's nasty, bigoted, corrupt and cowardly character, Mayor William White. William White is almost a humanised version of George Orwell's character Napoleon in Animal Farm and his greed for power leads to his downfall. Jeremy Denisty is compelling as the white supremacist, and he commands every scene in which he appears and is evil to the bone. Yet there is a touch of humanity in William when he grieves for his sister Deborah whom he believed died in the river. 

The only adult in the town is the resident drunk, Tyler who was asleep when all the adults went off to fight the Indians. Eddy Mitchell is superb in his portrayal of the wise yet weary boozehound whose presence during the children's reign represents a sage of moral judgement and human rights. Other brilliant performances include the mesmerising Samy Seghir as the Indian boy and Deborah's lover, Wapiti; Charlie Quatrefages is wonderfully seductive and sassy as Nicole, the burlesque performer and prostitute; Grégoire Souverain and Thomas Souverain are cute and comedic as the twins Simon and Garfunkel and Atmen Kelif, the eldest of the children plays the likeable idiot and local loser, Banjo. 

Eagle-eyed audiences will notice some quirky American symbolisms and images throughout the film, including a Wanted Dead or Alive Poster featuring a man with an uncanny resemblance to Osama Bin Laden, the sign above the bath tub in the local bath house and names of identities who have contributed socially, economically and politically to make America what it is today.

SOLE ADULT: Resident boozehound Tyler (Eddy Mitchell) wakes from his drunken stupor in the film Big City. Image: Gaumont Distribution.

The music accompanying the action and drama in the film is reminscent of TV's Bonanza and Roots, with 'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue' and 'Oh Susanna' also performed. Big City is an ambitious and entertaining film, with some confronting and disturbing scenes. It's a reminder of how much we should treasure our childhood and make the most of it before the cynicism and judgemental tendencies of adulthood sets in. 

Director: Djamel Bensalah

Writer: Djamel Bensalah (screenplay)

Cast: Vincent Valladon, Paolina Biguine, Jérémy Denisty, Samy Seghir, Alexis Maah, Samen Télesphore Teunou, Claire Bouanich, Atmen Kelif, Eddy Mitchell, Charlie Quatrefages, Grégoire Souverain, Thomas Souverain, Manon Tournier 

Producers: Farid Chaouche, Michael Frislev, Chad Oakes 

Original Music Composer: Erwann Kermorvant 

Cinematographer: Pascal Gennesseaux

Film Editor: Jean-François Elie 

Production Designer: Paul Healy

Costume Designer: Nathalie Leborgne

Language: French with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes